The Chicago Cubs are coming off an impressive sweep of the Cardinals over the weekend and now will head to Coors Field to face an impressive offense from the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are smashing the ball at home this season and will get to face Yu Darvish, who was blasted out of the park in his lone start in Colorado last season.
The Rockies opened as -130 favorites with a total of 11.
Standout Stats
- Yu Darvish gets the start for the Cubs tonight and he has been much better on the road than at home this season. The righty owns a 3.64 ERA in six road starts and was dynamite in his last game away from Wrigley Field by limiting the Cards to three hits and one earned run. Making his lone career start in Colorado during the 2018 season, Yarvish was knocked around for five hits and five earned runs in 4.2 innings (9.64 ERA).
- German Marquez will take the mound for the Rockies and he has not shown much consistency this season. He got clubbed by this Cubs squad in his most recent start by allowing seven hits and eight earned runs in only 5.1 innings. In seven starts at home this season, he owns a 4.93 ERA with opposing batters hitting .314. In four career starts vs the Cubs, he sports a 6.86 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.
- The Rockies have been using the advantage of Coors Field to pad their offensive stats and are arguably the best hitting team at home in MLB. At home, they rank in the top three in hits, doubles, RBIs, batting average and OPS.
- The Cubs may need to rely on the bullpen tonight if Darvish gets in trouble and they’ve been below average over the last two weeks. In the last 14 days, Cubs relievers own a 4.35 ERA but are holding opponents to a .233 batting average. In home games in that span, that ERA drops to 3.52 and the batters’ average falls to .179 (15.1 innings).
- If you’re planning to bet on the first-five prop for this game, bettors should know that the Cubs are 5-0-1 SU in their last six games with Darvish as the starter.
- The Cubs have not fared well as an underdog this season. They’ve gone 3-12 SU in 15 games when not favored and are 0-5 SU in their last five games as road dogs.
- Although the total is set at 11 in this matchup, it’s not unusual for the score to surpass that at Coors Field. The OVER has hit in 18 of the Rockies’ 30 home games this season and in six of Marquez’s last seven starts.
My Best Bet for Cubs vs Rockies
OVER 11
Taking a double-digit total in baseball can be a nervous play but since this game is in Colorado, that has calmed my fears. The total is routinely set at double digits at Coors Field (28 of 30 games) and the OVER has hit in 18 of them.
The Rockies’ offense has been excellent at home this season and gets to face Yu Darvish, who has not lived up to the hype. Then when you factor in that Marquez gets roughed up on the regular, I can’t see how this game falls short of 11 runs.
